Lauren Cohan on her decision to leave The Walking Dead (and if she’ll ever return)

Lauren Cohan discusses why she left The Walking Dead and whether or not she will return for season 10.

Fans of The Walking Dead know that the show is going through some really big changes right now. No spoilers here, but, it’s no surprise to any fans that Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, is leaving the show officially and will appear in his final episode this week.

Lincoln’s exit leaves a huge hole in the show, as he’s been the show’s central figure since it all began in 2010. But, Rick is not the only major character who is leaving the show, at least for now. Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie Greene, is also on her way out. With Lincoln’s departure, other stars like Cohan and Danai Gurira (Michonne) have really stepped up to the plate to carry the show forward. Losing Cohan seems like a big shame, but she might not be gone for good.

Cohan sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss why she left the show as well as other projects that she’s working on including starring in ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier in 2019. She mentions the possibility she could return to The Walking Dead for season 10 if her schedule permits, especially because she is really happy with the way the show is going under the direction of showrunner Angela Kang.

When asked why she left The Walking Dead and will only appear in a few episodes of season 9, Cohan explained:

"So much of it is really simple because eight years is a long time to spend in one character…I honestly just was looking at this on a multitude of personal levels, and it just made the most sense for me to do this.”"

Cohan emphasized how much she loves portraying her character Maggie, and always will. She admits she was stunned, and rightly so, when it came to contract negotiations to stay on for season 9.

"I kind of felt in some ways surprised, to be honest with you. And I took that, how baffled I was, and thought, ‘Okay, well that’s a sign. This is maybe just not a fit anymore.’ To feel like we weren’t lining up in so many ways I just thought, ‘Okay, well, maybe that means something.’"

When asked about the future and being in limbo about whether or not she will return to the show, Cohan explained:

"I feel really good saying, ‘Let’s see what happens. I don’t know where it’s gonna go, let’s see what happens.’ That is me doing a good service to the show, and to my creative journey, and to myself on a personal level."

As of now, it’s not a done deal if Cohan will return to The Walking Dead or not, but fans can still hold out hope. Unlike with Lincoln who has left the show for good, Cohan isn’t against coming back if things line up.

The actress also noted that she has spoken with showrunner Angela Kang about the future of the character saying, “Yeah, we have had creative story conversation about what could happen with the character, and that’s all I know.”

We hope that Cohan comes back to the show because we definitely don’t want to lose Maggie for good!